Sliding connection between seat rails and legs of collapsible wheel chairs



1958 H. c. JENNINGS, JR 2,859,800

SLIDING CONNECTION BETWEEN SEAT RAILS AND LEGS OF COLLAPSIBLE WHEELCHAIRS Filed Nov. 5, 1956 SLIDING CONNECTION BETWEEN SEAT RAILS AND LEGSF COLLAPSIBLE WHEEL CHAIRS Harry C. Jennings, Jr., Los Angeles, Calif.Application November 1956, Serial No. 620,391

2 Claims. (Cl. 155-140) This invention relates to improvements incollapsible chairs such as collapsible invalid wheel chairs.

Explanatory of the present invention, collapsible wheel chairs haveheretofore been designed consisting of two opposed side frames each ofwhich has a front and rear leg. These side frames have been connected totheir lower ends by the lower ends of one or more X-braces which haveseat bars or seat rails at their upper ends. These seat bars or seatrails have been connected by a flexible seat and when it is desired tocollapse the chair the side frames are merely pushed toward each othercausing the X-braces to fold or collapse and the flexible seat to foldbetween the seat bars. Heretofore the ends of the seat bars have beenusually slidably and rotatably connected to the front and rear legs oftheir respective side frames and to this end notched pins have beenrotatably, mounted in the front and rear ends of the seat barspresenting notches that slidably engage the front and rear legsrespectively. The construction has been such that the notches in thepins extend around the legs of the side frames less than half circularso that if warping or racking action occurs between the seat bars andtheir respective side frames due to the chair traversing a rough oruneven surface the notched pins are free to separate from theirrespective legs which they slidably engage.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improvedconstruction for connecting the end of a seat bar to a leg of a sideframe which can be very inexpensively produced and assembled and whichhas the advantage of encircling or embracing a leg of a side frame morethan one-half circular. The construction provides a rotatable andslidable connection between the end of the seat bar and the leg of theside frame and if warping or racking action between the seat bar and theside frame should occur the connection remains in slidable embrace withthe leg due to its encircling more than a half circle thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved collapsiblewheel chair having the above mentioned characteristics and wherein oneend of each seat bar instead of being rotatably and slidably connectedto a leg of the side frame is left free or unattached and when the chairis in expanded or extended position this end is merely received in anupwardly open socket rigidly mounted on the seat frame.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplifiedconstruction whereby foot rests may be detachably mounted on the sideframes of a collapsible chair.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be mademanifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointedout in the appended claims,

reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrativeembodiment of the invention wherein:

Fig. l is a view in side elevation of an invalid wheel chair embodyingthe present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially upon the line 2-2 of Fig.1.

United States Patent Fig. 3 is a partial view in vertical section takensub stantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a partial view in horizontal section taken substantially uponthe line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the parts forming the connectionbetween the rear ends of the seat bars and the rear legs of the sideframes.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar referencecharacters designate similar parts therein the improved chair comprisestwo opposed side frames generally indicated at 10 and 11. These sideframes are usually made of metal tubing providing substantially verti-'cal rear legs 12 to the upper ends of which handles may be attached andfront legs 13. The front legs have their upper ends bent rearwardly toprovide arm rests 14 and are welded or oflierwise secured to the outersides of the rear legs 12. On the inner sides of the lower ends of thefront legs 13 there are horizontally extending tubular rung portions 15and similar portions 16 are attached to the lower ends of the rear legs12. These rung portions have tubular sleeves 17 rotatably mountedtherebetween and the lower ends of one or more X-braces 18 are rigidlysecured thereto. The members of each X- brace are pivotally connected toeach other as at 19 and the upper ends of the X-braces have tubular seatbars 20 rigidly mounted thereon which are connected by a flexile seat21.

To collapse the chair as above described the two side frames 10 and 11are merely pressed toward each other. This causes the X-braces 18 tocollapse and the flexible seat 21 to fold between the upper ends of theX-brace. In the course of collapsing the X-braces the seat bars 20 mustmove upwardly relatively to the rear legs 12 and also to partiallyrotate relatively thereto.

One feature of the present invention concerns the means for slidably androtatably connecting the rear ends.

of the seat bars 20 to their respecitve rear legs 12. To-

this end two opposed members are provided for the rear end of each seatbar. These opposed members are illus-- trated at 22 and 23. Each membermay be formed of a: metal stamping and consists of a semi-cylindricalshank. portion, the shanks being indicated at 24 and 25 respectively.These semi-cylindrical shanks when the members are in opposedrelationship rotatably fit in the rear ends of the seat bars so that theopposed members 22 and 23 can rotate within the rear ends of the seatbars as well as slide axially therein. The rear ends of the opposedmembers are shaped to provide two opposed arcuate claws 26 and 27respectively. These claws slidably fit about the rear leg 12 and as willbe noted from an inspection of Fig. 4 they partially embrace the legaround more than a semi-circle thereof. In other words, they extend fromthe shank portions 24 and 25 rearwardly beyond a transverse diameterthrough the rear leg 12. Consequently, these claws although they arefree to slide on the rear legs 12 cannot be pulled forwardly therefromand therefore are in captive relation to the rear legs. If the seat bar20 tends to move forwardly relatively to the rear leg 12 due to thewarping or racking of the chair in passing over an uneven surface theclaws merely cause the shank portions 24 and 25 to slide rearwardly ashort distance from within the seat bars. When the chair returns to asmooth horizontal surface and the seat bar tends to move rearwardlytoward the rear leg 12 the claws 26 and27 cause the shank portions 24and 25 to slide forwardly in the seat bar. In this manner there is aconstant slidable and rotatable connection between the rear end of eachseat bar and its vertical leg 12.

On the inner sides of the forward legs 13 there are secured such as bywelding tubular members 28 and to the tops of these tubular members areare secured upstanding flanges 29. The flanges 29 cooperate with thetubular Patented Nov. 11, 1958- 3 members 28 and the inner sides of thefront legs 13 to provide upwardly open sockets 30 into which the forwardends of the seat bars 20 drop. in the course of expanding the chair fromits collapsed position. It will thus be appredated, that itisunnecessary to. providea rotatable and slidable connection betweentheforward endof 'each seat bar. andztheforward leg.:13.= The-connectionbetweenthe rear end of the seat bar and therean leg 12 can if desired"beduplicated at the forward endof each seat. bar

between the forward end. of the seat-bar. and the-forward leg 13.However, by means of the connectioniat' the rear as above described thesimple socket 30 may be employed in lieu of .theconnectionmade up of'theopposed members 22 and 23.

By leaving the forward. ends. of therung portions-.15

and the tubular members 28 open these members may be utilized asforwardly open socketsadapted to receive the rearwardly extendingportions31 and 32'on foot rests 33.

These portions mayibe caused 'toslide into the rung por-' tions 15.andinto the tubular members 28 and can be detachably locked therein such asby spring actuated detents not shown which detachably connect the footrests to the side frames and still enable the foot rests to bedetached'and removed from the chair;

The invention is applicable to any form of collapsible chair but it isusually employed on collapsible invalid wheelchairs wherein drive wheels34 may be rotatably mounted on the rear legs 12 and caster wheels- 35may be mounted on the front legs 13.

From the above described construction itwill be appreciated that animproved and novel connecting means is.prQvided-..between the. rearendsof seat bars of a collapsible-chair and legs of the side-framesthereof. This connection maintains a slidable and rotatable connectionbetween the seat bars and the rear legs at all times. It :.is easily andeconomically constructed and readily assembled with the remaining partsof the chair and enables'the other ends of the seat bars to be free ordetached from the side frames and merely enter sockets 30 on the sideframes when the chair is extended.

Various changes may be made in the detail, arrangement and proportionsof the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim: W p

1. In a collapsible chair, a leg, a tubular seat bar having an endvertically movable and rotatable relative to the leg and means forming aslidable and rotatable connection between the end of the seat bar andthe'leg comprising two opposed parts having shank portions rotatablyfitting in the end of the seat bar and having opposed claws in partiallyencircling'captive' relationship with the leg and in slidable engagementtherewith.

2. In a collapsible chair, a leg, a tubular seat bar, and a connectionbetween the seat bar and the leg comprising two opposed parts'havingopposed portions inpartially encircling captive relation to the leg andslidably engaging therewith,' said parts having opposed shank portionsrotatably fitting within the end of the seat bar References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,302,757 Barber May 6, 19192,104,255 Garbaccio Jan. 4, 1938 2,486,015 Everest et al Oct. 25, 19492,608,240 Booth Aug. 26, 1952 2,609,864 Gates Sept. 9, 1952 2,762,422Stratton Sept. 11, 1956 2,794,660 DAzzo June 4, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS15,153/33 Australia Nov. 13,193 1,110,516 7 France Oct. 12, 1955

